……hurricanes hardly happen,  but in Massachusetts!!!  Nah they hardly do here either,  but when they do!!!!  Boy oh boy.  It sure has been an interesting couple of weeks in Beantown.  The day before  hurricane Irene blew through the East Coast,  Markie took part in a crazy bike challenge in Deerfield called D2R2 .  So not only is it a crazy, hilly,  long route he of course added to the challenge by doing it on a fixed bike (no gears) ……….what a dummy………I mean guy……what a guy……yeah, yeah that’s what I meant, ahem. He blogged about it here if you care to read his side of the day.

The  hurricane was starting to approach just as he finished,  so he got a little soaked at the end,  but didn’t he do well?

I had a lovely time in Deerfield while Markie was having fun.  Deerfield has a historical neighbourhood that has preserved the colonial and Federal houses of the first settlers. So after I had wandered around the village romancing with the idea of being around in the 16oo’s,  I brought out my trusty wool bag and got to work under a giant oak tree.  It was so nice (although slightly odd)  as it was right beside a working dairy farm.   So I heard the incredibly loud bleeting of sheep with every stab.  I like to think they were bleeting their approval of my use of wool.

The weather was so absolutely perfect,  it’s hard to believe that in only a few hours it had completely changed.  So back home we battened down the hatches and prepared for Irene……..and we were actually pretty lucky as she was not as bad as we were expecting (phew).  We did lose electricity for about a day and a half……which completely killed all my romantic notions of the past as I was going out of my mind with lack of internet, tv and lights after about 30 mins.    My initial thought of needle felting,  when we lost power,  were stymied at the realization that I do need some light or my fingers will bleed……. a lot.

I did add another new guy to the fold this week though……….Meet Inka

Inka is a Sloth bear,  but he’s more of a teddy bear really as he is obsessed with all the things from the 1950’s……..I will add him to the shop soon.

And in other stabby news I am happy to report that I will be vending at the Hingham Shipyard Holiday market this winter

I have applied to a few other shows so keep your fingers crossed for me that I have a few more to add to my holiday schedule.

Well no not really,  thank god…….but I have started the Christmas craftin’  and while I don’t think it’s ever going to feel normal to make snowmen and santas when it’s close to a hundred degrees outside,  it does make me start to look forward to fall and wonderin’ how Boston is going to be in winter……….brrrrrrr I expect.

A sneak pic of santas

I’m all done with my summer sowa market gig now too (apologies to anyone who went last weekend and expected to see us,  I’m afraid the rain kept us away…….no one likes a soggy critter.)

So I also have a new critter to introduce to the menagerie…….

I love Harry,  he’s such a cutie and I’ll be listing him in the shop a little later today.  I dropped off a whole load of crittery goodies at Sarida last Sunday but of course I got talking to Tammy,  (the rather fabulous owner) and mesmerized by all the fabulous goodies inside and of course forgot to take any pics……..so I’m stealing these pics from Sarida’s facebook page  (their pictures are so much better than anything I would have taken anyway ).

It’s such a pretty store I’m thrilled to have the critters be a part of it.  And if you are in the area you should check it out,  you wont be disappointed.

So it’s been a busy couple of weeks with Christmas craftin’  and trying to stock stores (including my own) and trips to the vet Kirzstie with an overactive thyroid,  Floyd  with dental issues (2 teeth had to be removed……poorbaby,  he’s feeling a little sorry for himself today)  but I’m going to get back to it now…….stabby, stabby…….

I am just loving my new apartment,  we have a balcony which is brilliant for sitting out and enjoying the weather but doubley brilliant for enjoying the chirpers

We have a lot of other birdies that come and enjoy our feeder but I managed to have my camera near me when the grosbeak, cardinals and jay stopped by (which is really rare for me as normally I’m not at all prepared).

It certainly has been very exciting for one new critter………Spencer

Spencer is the neighbor’s cat,  but he just loves hanging out with us……….especially at lunch time and dinner time or if a new fire is lit in the grate………….unless of course the neighbors are home.  I’ll add Spencer to the shop  which I’m excited about doing as he will be the first new critter that I’ve added for ages.

Boston is most definitely my kind of town……….so again I apologize for my lack of blogging and it’s certainly not because there is nothing going on it’s in fact the exact opposite.   The first sowa market I vended at was on June 5th and it was absolutely fabulous……so many warm, wonderful and welcoming people and if you are in the area I highly recommend you check it out it’s 3 parts,  a farmers market a vintage market and a crafty artsy fartsy market (where we are) .

We had the best time and we also met Carolyn a rather lovely woman who requested a knitting Gromit and sheep to sit on her shelf and here they are

It was wonderful to make these guys for Carolyn,  and I really hope she likes ’em.  Last Sunday at the  market a new critter found a wonderful forever home……..

Blair the polar bear,  I never got a shot of Blair when he was finished so this is my only piccie of him…….he sure looked happy to be going to his new home though and I love that his new mum was super happy to welcome him to Boston.

So  as you can tell I’m loving living in Boston,  I promise I will try and be a better blogger and keep you more regularly updated with all the critter news.

That means Spring is 19 days away,  yipppeeeeee!!!!  and as we all know Spring means it’s almost Summer….and jeeesh I can’t wait for summer.  Anyway I’ve been very busy with the critters the last couple of weeks…..and I’m finally gonna update the shop with a couple of new guys.

First up is the oddballs

I can’t tell you just how much I LOVE making these guys…….they always make me smile when they are finished and I love that they all have distinct and very odd personalities,  much like myself.   As of last week a bunch of Oddballs decided to head on out to pastures new and  can be found in their only Wisconsin home,  Zip Dang on Monroe Street in Madison.  How very exciting!   I just hope they behave themselves.

I also made some mini bears

They sure are cute……..And last week they decided that the Glitterworkshop in Madison was the only place perfect enough for their picnic parties.  I will add a couple of oddballs and teddies to my Etsy shop for fun though as it seems like a very long time since I’ve put anything new in there………oooooops.

I also just made a facebook page for the critters (wow, that took a while huh?)  so as Sally Field once gushed………Like me,  please like me…..Lulu’s Stabby Critters on facebook

It’s that time of year again……yup it’s pep talk time for Markie ,  which is always especially lovely for me as we  get to stay at the Del on Coronado island for a whole week.  Oh how I love the Del.   While we are there it’s going to be our 12 year wedding anniversary (can’t believe it’s been 12 years already).  So anyway I’ll give you an update  of the trip when we get back which will be around the 25th as we are also going to Los Angeles for a bit too……….yaaaaaaaaay I’m excited.

I thought I’d share a couple of  my favourite custom orders I did over the holidays…….First up I made an homage to Goo,   Goo is the beloved teddy bear of Andrea’s baby Bennett and looks like this

and then my stabby recreation

I hope Andrea liked him,  I thought he was a real cutie and he got me thinking of the possibility of little bears for the ole’ craft booth…………we will see.

I also got my Mario fix for the year as Elizabeth requested a Yoshi kart…..

Yoshi was probably my hardest challenge in a very long time,  the kart was very hard to figure out how to make it look convincing in wool.  But I love how it turned out and I hope Elizabeth does too.

Speak to you after the 25th as I’m off to pack for California………..yipeeeeeeeeeeeee

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  As a Scottish person living in the US it is a bizarrely unique and completely odd day,  but still it’s a day off work and a reason for a parade.  So it’s a little unfair that I  renamed  Thanksgiving a long time ago  ” The Christmas Spoiler holiday”.  Still I have lots of things to be thankful for and I am very grateful for everything we have.

I told you last post that the rather wonderful Rosy organizer of the Crafty fair had managed to score a full page promotion of the show in the onion and here it is

my mischief monkeys were featured and they also give me props for my super Mario ornaments……..way too cool.  And the show was packed all day with shoppers it was really a lot of fun.  I also got a brilliant commission from a shopper,  after purchasing a large santa table topper she requested I made an old world rabbi.  After googling old world rabbi and google helpfully suggesting I meant old world rabbit I came up with this guy

I really like how he turned out,  and hopefully Linda does too.

Have you seen Potter yet?   oooooooh it’s so good,  nothing says the holidays are coming like a Potter movie.  I,  of course,  saw it at midnight when it opened.   Last weekend we went to Chicago to see it on the Imax which was highly fortuitous timing for a trip to Chicago as it was the DIY Trunk show at Pulaski field house,  which gave me the excuse to go and pester  my crafty buddy Ekra…….wooooohoooo.   It was a really good show and I kept thinking if just one vendor had  a cold I’d be here with the critters right now……….sigh hopefully I’ll make it next year and not be on the waiting list again.  I did make a few awesome purchases so some Christmas pressies are at least taken care of.

Saturday is the Bucktown Bazaar

So I am busy, busy, busy……….what else is new?

Yup, yup Stabbyland is a whirlwind of activity right now……..lots of late night candle burning critter making sessions going on as I am busily preparing for Sundays Crafty fair

This show should be so much fun…..and Rosy (the  rather fab organizer) got  the show a feature in the onion’s event guide for Madison how cool is that?  apparently my mischief monkeys were featured in the listing……….eeeeeeeek how exciting and I can’t wait to check it out when I hit Madison this weekend.  Another exciting event for Madison this weekend  is the Grand Glitterworkshop re-opening on Saturday,  Naomi (the store owner and organizer extraordinaire of the craftaculars)  is theming the store as a forest friend woodland theme so it gave me the perfect excuse to add a new critter to the critter box family…..

It’s Mr fox

He along with some squirrels, hedgies and other forestie critters headed out for the store opening so I’m looking forward to seeing them in their new home,  and I of course made a few extras to add to the shop.

I’ve been having a lot of fun this week…..it’s hard not to when you see who I’ve been hanging out with

cute aren’t they?  even if they are monsters and can only say nyum, nyum nyum………I’m not sure what it means but they all get very excited at the chant.  So why have the monsters come into my life?  well they are part of a bunch of critters heading for a store in Australia,  how exciting is that?  I tried to explain the land down under  to the lil’ guys but you guessed it just more nyum, nyum nyums and bouncing up and down.

I thought I’d let you see my booth at the rally for sanity and/or fear in St Louis last week

How cool is that?  It was so awesome to be right at the arch (maybe I’m easily amused) I could barely contain my excitement at the venue and kept wandering off to check out the arch and the crowds (sorry and thank you Markie) the weather was absolutely fabulous and  the crowd really was brilliant I wish I’d taken more piccies

Lots of costumes and silly banners my favourite was a couple dressed as Alice and the mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland who had a sign that read “because a tea party in congress would be madness”  utterly brilliant and I kick myself for not snagging a picture of the pair………….grrrrrrrr.

So this weekend is the official start of my slew of Holiday shows with the Red Sled In La grange, Illinois

I love this show,  it really does make me start to feel excited for the holidays and I just love the folks that come to say hi to the critters.  I also added another Christmas show to my schedule (I’m quite mad ya’know) it’s the Logan Square holiday art show in Chicago

I couldn’t resist applying for this show as it just looked so cool,  I’m completely thrilled we’re going to be a part of it.

So back to critter creatin’  have a great week.

Meet me at the rally

In a few hours we are heading of to St louis for the weekend for the Daily show’s  rally to restore sanity and or fear……the main event is actually happening on the national mall in DC but there will be a craft fair going on at the base of the gateway arch and beer and food vendors and a giant jumbotron showing the rally live ……..How cool is that?  I’m very excited about it,  I am also excited that thanks to the wonder of Hotwire we are staying at the mega fancy Hyatt St Louis Arch hotel tonight……yipppppppeeeeee.  What a fantastic weekend I cant wait!!

Some new Christmassy critters will be making the trip with us (is it too early?  I can never tell)

I told you I had been busy…….I love the santa hat wearing pengies……I got these little felt santa hats and I think they look absolutely perfect on the lil’ guys.

So now it’s back to packing and prepping for the trip (groan) not my favourite thing in the whole world but I can’t wait to get on the road so I guess it’s worth it.  Hope I see you in St Louis for the fun.